The course will cover the following topics:

• A brief introduction to software development
• The relation between service portfolios and software development including service strategy, service portfolio management, demand management and IT architecture management
• IS sourcing related to software development including:
  • sourcing options including cloud services,
  • open source vs. commercial software (both as consumer and as producer),
  • cost, value and risks of sourcing decisions
• IS development planning and control including:
  • development models,
  • project management in software development,
  • selected elements of quality assurance and testing,
  • software development metrics,
  • related roles and staff profiles
• Selected components of frameworks relevant for IS development and control:
  • the Capability Maturity Model (CMM),
  • the IT Infrastructure Library (ITIL), particularly processes of service design and service transition,
  • Control Objectives for Information and Related Technology (COBIT),
  • business analysis, requirements engineering,
  • project management
• Conventional vs. agile methods (e.g., waterfall, SCRUM, lean, DevOps etc.)
• IS product management
• IS innovation management including:
  • innovation processes and management in IS development,
  • open and user innovation
• IS development ecosystem

By the end of this course students should be able to:

• distinguish between the major IS sourcing options that currently exist;
• apply models to make well-founded IS sourcing decisions taking cost, benefits and risks into consideration;
• understand the implications of existing IT architectures and service portfolios on IS software development;
• understand the typical development models and project management techniques applied in software development;
• appreciate the importance of contemporary forms of innovation in software development;
• acknowledge globally recognized frameworks such as the IT infrastructure library;
• apply the skills and knowledge acquired in this course to real-world situations related to the acquisition and development of software in a business environment.

Attendance is required during class sessions. Exceptions can be made by prior agreement and with reasonable cause (e.g., overlapping exams).

This course will be taught by in a combined lecture and workshop style also involving short case studies and calculations. This course involves private study including guided reading associated with focus topics, independent small group work, and preparation for and production of coursework assignments.

Formative assessment will take place each session when students will work on questions, case studies, seminar papers or homeworks in groups or individually. Formal grading of work and learning outcomes will include level and quality of active participation, two written exams, two assignments (homework) and two case studies and their presentation.

The weights of these components are as follows:

• first case study (group work, in class): 20 points of the final grade
• first individual assignment (homework): 20 points of the final grade
• written exam: 20 points of the final grade
• second case study (group work, in class and homework): 20 points of the final grade
• second individual assignment (homework): 20 points of the final grade
• presentation of the second case study: 20 points of the final grade

Grading scale:

• 88-120 points: excellent (1)
• 76-87 points: good (2)
• 63-75 points: satisfactory (3)
• 51-62 points: sufficient (4)
• 0-50 points: insufficient (5)

Students are welcome to discuss course-related issues after class or by appointment (please make appointments by e-mail).